Summer Love
by TooMuchCaffine
Summary: A series of one shots, all base on the theme "Summer Love". #5- Cabin Fever- McGee tries to share a childhood pastime with Ziva, but everything doesn't go as planned. McGiva. Story currently on hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Here we go! A new series of one shots, based on the theme: "Summer Love!" This will continue through the end of summer, maybe longer depending on what you guys want, and if I have more ideas.

* * *

Tony sat less than patiently at his desk. Gibbs had forbid them from going home until everyone had finished their paperwork. Unfortunately, he was nearly a month behind. Every so often, he would receive fiery glares from across the row, as his co-workers waited for him to finish. "You know, we could all be out of here a lot quicker if you help me, Probie!"

"Nah," McGee sat contently at his desk, sipping from his Seussical coffee cup, "I'm enjoying this." he took a long slow sip, relishing the moment

"You suck, McRevel," Tony growled under his breath

Ducky marched down the corridor happily, dressed in a Benjamin Franklin costume. He was merrily whistling 'Yankee Doodle' as he marched. "Good afternoon, gentlemen! Will the two of you be joining the noble rebels, in a valiant fight against the Lobsterbacks this evening?"

Tony felt the flashback coming. The costumes, the horses and all their excretions, and of course, the poo bucket. He felt a shudder down to his very soul, "No thanks, Ducky. You have fun though!"

"Sorry," McGee told him, "We might be here a while."

"Ah," Ducky sighed, "It is a day for celebration, not for paperwork! Many office buildings aren't even open today! Jethro has gotten a bit sadistic in his old-" Ducky stopped abruptly, noticing how Tony and McGee's eyes were now glued to their paperwork. A deep chill going down his spine, "You're standing right behind me, aren't you Jethro?"

"Don't make me start slapping you like I do DiNozzo," Gibbs cautioned

"I wouldn't dream of it!" Ducky smirked, "What about Miss David? While I am certain she would object to petticoats and corsets, I think she would enjoy a good fight."

All heads in the bullpen turned to Ziva's desk, which was now vacant. She'd been there an hour ago, but no one had seen here leave. She had already finished her paperwork, but it wasn't like her to disobey a direct order. "Maybe she had to use the head?" McGee suggested

Tony opened his mouth to speak, but his voice was drowned out by the sounds of fireworks across the bay. It was still going to be light out for another hour or two, but that didn't stop the festivities. "That's gonna go on all night, isn't it?"

"Well, considering you're in the nations capital on Independence Day?" Abby ran up to them, dressed in costume like Ducky. Compared to sleeping in a funeral gown, wearing corsets and skirts wasn't a problem, "Its gonna go on for _days_! Ready to go to war, Ducky?"

"I will not be participating in the actual fight, dear," Ducky linked arms with her, "I'm a bit too old for that."

"Oh," she said, feeling a bit stupid, "Well, we can watch! Any of you coming?"

"Not on my watch!" Gibbs told her, "Unless DiNozzo finishes up right now, you're gonna be here all night."

Tony began to quickly fill in the last of the blanks, "Done!" he handed Gibbs the mountain of papers from his desk, "That's the last of it, boss!"

Gibbs looked around at his team, staring up at him expectantly. Abby pouted, her lower lip trembling a bit. "Well? What are you waiting for, a permission slip? Go!" he ordered happily, "Get outta here!"

Tony initially ran for the elevator at full speed with the others, but he stopped just short of the doors, "Hey, you know what? I'll catch up with you guys later!" he walked back, nearly bumping into Gibbs, "Sorry, boss. Have you seen Ziva?" she still hadn't come back, and that had him worried a bit

"No, she probably snuck out while you were doing your papers." somehow, Tony didn't think that was the case

* * *

Only one thing now stood between Tony and Ziva. Unfortunately that thing symbolized privacy, security, and most importantly that he was not allowed. Ziva had been in the men's room so many times that when she enters, she is usually greeted with a chorus of, "Hi, Ziva!" but this was different. It was one thing for a woman to go into the men's room. It was quite another for a man to go into the women's

"_I'm gonna get pepper sprayed, or tasered," _Tony thought to himself. He finally found the courage to push open the door. The light was off, so he guessed no one was inside, and it was safe to look. "Ziva?" he called, "You in here?"

"Go away, Tony!" a voice in the darkness ordered

"_Found ya!_" Tony flicked on the lights, looking in the direction on where Ziva's voice had come from. Now he had another obstacle in his path; a locked stall door._ "_Ziva, Gibbs said we can go home now. You want a ride?" he offered

"No! I do not!" she snapped, "I am fine, Tony!"

Tony dropped to his knees, crawling under the stall door, "If you're 'fine', why are you hiding in the bathroom in the dark?" he'd half-expected her to start kicking, screaming, possibly shooting at him once he started to crawl under. But she didn't even move. He found her sitting on top of the water tank, curled up in a ball. Her makeup had run down her cheeks, creating twin trails of gray across her face. "Hey, what's wrong?" he placed a hand on her shoulder, making her flinch

"I just want to be alone, Tony," she insisted. He knew something was wrong for several reasons. Apart from her strange behavior, she was using his name alot. That usually meant she was either pissed or scared; sometimes both.

Another round of fireworks went off, these one visible through the little window, just outside the building. She jumped a bit with each sound, her fingers and toes curling up. A sudden realization dawned on him, "You're afraid of fireworks, aren't you?" he kept his voice soft, knowing she wouldn't want him announcing it to the world

"Yes! Are you happy!"

"No, not really," he sat down on the seat, not checking to see if the lid was down; it wasn't. His backside sank into the cool water, "Ziva, please tell me you flushed!" a look of horror was painted across his features

Ziva burst out laughing, "Yes, I did," she assured him, "Come on, my little wet butt, let's get you dried off." she managed to slip out from behind him, taking his hands to pull him out of the bowl. She dragged him over to the electric hand dryer, "Bend over!"

Tony shoved his rear end under the blower, "Heh, you gave me a blow job in the ladies' room!" he smirked, just wanting to see Ziva's mortified expression, "Seriously though, you're afraid of fireworks?"

"Yes," she sighed, leaning against the wall, "I have been ever since I was a little girl."

"The bombings?" he asked, not wanting to probe too much into her dark past, but wanting her to open up a little, and maybe let herself heal

"Air raids," she explained, "Explosions, rockets flying through the air, the smell of sulfer..."

"Sounds a lot like fireworks to me," it certainly made sense. He suddenly found himself shouting as the blow dryer shut off in the middle of his sentence, "Sorry." he added at a normal volume

"My mother was killed in an air raid when I was seven," she told him, "It...it was very hard on my family. Our entire house was destroyed. We lost our home, our mother, and all our possessions in one night."

"Oh," Tony felt horrible for asking, "I'm so sorry, Ziva. I didn't know."

"Care to guess which one night that was?"

"July fourth?" he asked, already knowing the answer. He wrapped his arms around her protectively, "Come on, let's go home. We'll watch movies that are really loud, so you can't hear them. And we can have popcorn, so you won't smell the sulfur, and we can watch them with the curtains closed so you won't see them either."

She nodded, laying her head down on his shoulder, "Alright."

"Hey," he lifted her chin, "Its okay to be afraid. Everyone's afraid of something."

"What are you afraid of? Commitment?"

"You."

* * *

Later that night, Tony lay awake, watching the bright glow of the fireworks shine through the curtains. Ziva was sleeping soundly, snoring like a fog horn under his arm. A few dozen more firewoks brought the display outside to its climax, waking his sleeping lover. "Sorry, Ziva. Looks like they're gonna go on all night and then some."

She sat up, yawning, "I suppose there is one thing we could do to drown it out?" she suggested

"Oh?" Tony didn't miss the hint of mischief in her voice

"We could make our own fireworks," in the blink of an eye, she had him flipped over on his back, her legs straddling him, leaning down to give him a long deep kiss

"God bless America!" Tony breathed


	2. Chapter 2

AN: This might be a bit OOC, but bear with me, okay?

* * *

Director Shepherd sat at her desk, busily filling out budget forms for the next year. It was a grueling and boring task, but they weren't due for another week, so if she finished early she could spend the rest of the week relaxing; or as close to relaxing as she ever came.

A knock on her door for once came as a relief; a distraction from her dull day, "Come in, Ziva."

Gibbs poked his head in, "Do I _look_ like a twenty-five year old Israeli woman, Jen?" his tone was hurt and insulted, but the grin on his face told her it was all in good nature

"No, thankfully," she smiled, "However Officer David is the only one around here who uses my door as it was intended; she actually _knocks_. Imagine that!"

He laughed a bit, "What about Cynthia? Isn't that what she's there for?" her assistant, constantly glued to her desk, had long since given up on stopping Gibbs from barging in

"She uses the intercom," she replied, "Now what is it that you wanted?"

He handed her a flier, "Bethesda's doing a charity bike ride, Fourth of July weekend. All proceeds go to the new pediatric ward they're building. Even Ducky's gonna ride!" he could barely picture Ducky on a bike, riding up to people to tell them his life's story, "You coming?"

"No," she replied, a bit too quickly, "Now I have work to do, so please leave me to it."

Gibbs eyed her critically, "Jen?" she looked up at him, letting him see the fear in her eyes, "You can't ride, can you?"

"Of course I can!" she snapped, "I just have other things to do that take priority." Gibbs wasn't buying it, and she wasn't really expecting him to, "Okay, no. I never learned. Are you happy now? Please go, Jethro."

"I can teach you," he offered, "Hey, if I could get a screaming four year old to ride, I can teach you." he smiled remembering teaching Kelley to ride her first tricycle.

_The whole time she was wailing, crying for her mother. While he held her steady, she was chanting, "Don't let go, don't let go..." she made it about a block away before she noticed he'd let go and she was riding on her own, "Daddy! You promised!" suddenly she realized what she was doing, "Daddy, I got it!"_

Jen smiled kindly, "Are you comparing me to a little girl?"

There was no safe answer to that, "Do you want me to teach you or not?"

* * *

Gibbs sat on the park bench, waiting for her to show up. He wasn't entirely confident that she would follow through. She was late, which was very unlike her. You didn't get to be Director of a federal agency through tardiness.

She finally showed, and was quite a spectical. He didn't laugh, as hard as it was not to, knowing she would skin him alive if he did. She was wearing elbow and knee pads, as well as a bright yellow helmet. Rather than her usual professional working attire, she was wearing a t-shirt and basketball shorts, pushing a bike along. "Not a word, Jethro!" she cautioned dangerously

"I didn't say anything!" he raised his hands defensively, "Okay, do you at least know how to get on?" he was mostly teasing her, but there was a chance she wouldn't know

She glared at him, "Yes, I think I can manage that!" she straddled the seat, shifting a bit, "Okay, is this right? I don't know how men can ride these things!" it wasn't the most comfortable seat, and was putting a lot of pressure on sensitive areas

"I wear a cup," he told her, taking her hands in his, "Okay, one hand on each handlebar, like that. See these levers? Brakes. Pull them in to stop, or pedal backwards. Now even it out..."

She finally figured out how to align the bike right, "Now what?"

"Well, it might be a good idea to pick up the kickstand," he kicked it up into place, "Now start pedaling. Don't worry, I've got you." he held on to the back of her seat, keeping her steady.

She was a bit wobbly at first, struggling to keep it balanced, "Okay...this isn't so bad! Do _not _let go!" she tried to stay calm, but her mind was telling her. "_You're gonna fall! You're gonna fall!"_

"Great, now turn up here," they followed the jogging path around the park, almost making it the full circle before she lost her balance and fell, "That's okay, just get back on and try it again." he helped her back on, "Good, see? You're getting it!"

Without telling her, he let go of the seat, but still kept pace behind her, "Jethro? Am I doing this right?" the bike wobbled a bit, straying off into the grass, "Jethro?!"

From the play equipment, a couple of little kids were watching in fascination. One of the kids, a five year old boy, yelled at her, "You have to pedal faster, lady!" he grabbed his bike and rode up next to her, "Like this!"

She turned to look at the kid beside her. He made it look so easy! She turned around to look for Gibbs, who was supposed to be helping her, "Jethro!" he was standing about fifty feet behind her, watching her ride off, "You really are a bastard!"

"You said a swear," the little boy told her, mortified by what he'd just heard

"I know, and that was very bad of me," she smiled sweetly at the child, "Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to kill him." she turned the bike around, and at full speed charged at him

The boy stopped to watch, "Yay! Kill him!"

* * *

On the day of the charity ride, the whole team had gathered. Tony walked up to Gibbs with an amused look on his face, "You know what? I think I'm gonna wear one of these every day!" he slapped the back his helmet, "Gibbs proof!" he knew he wouldn't be able to get away with anything. There was no way that slaps were the only form of discipline Gibbs had up his sleeve

Ziva crept up behind him, smacking the top of his head, causing Tony to squeal in surprise, "It is not that protective. And there are slits in it," she poured some water through the openings, drenching Tony's head, "There is no way to be safe from Gibbs."

Gibbs grinned, patting Ziva on the head, "Smart girl!"

Jen showed up just before the start. She was now confident enough all she wore in the way of protective gear was a helmet, which was mandatory for the race. "Are we ready?"

"Ready as we shall ever be!" Ducky told her. She had been a bit worried that her t-shirt and shorts were going to make her stand out a bit, but seeing Ducky made her feel a bit less self-conscious. He was wearing a yellow jersey and riding shorts which left very little to the imagination

* * *

As the race went on, Jen fell behind a bit. Frustrated but not giving up, she pedaled harder, only to continue to be passed by all the other riders.

"Best to stay back a bit, let the speeders crash," she turned to see Gibbs keeping pace alongside her, "McGee already bit it," he pointed a few feet ahead, where McGee was getting a skinned knee checked by medics

"That's reassuring," she muttered

"Hey, you're not gonna win a race the week you start riding," he tried to boost her spirits a bit, "Tell ya what. Forget the other riders, you race me to the finish!"

The competative side of her was eager to beat him, to finally put Leroy Jethro Gibbs in his place. Without warning, she took off, leaving him behind. They were neck and neck most of the way. A few feet from the finish, she tried to psych him out, "Do you ever think you'll get married again?"

He stopped in his tracks, giving her the split second she needed to cross the finish first, "Cheap shot, Jen!" he shouted at her, crossing the finish dead last

"I know," she smiled apologetically, "At least someone wins though," she looked over at where the team had congregated with officials from the hospital.

Wondering what the commotion was about, Gibbs walked up to them ,"What's going on?"

"They're trying to see who won," Abby told him, "They think it was Ziva, but she and Tony were so close..."

"I won!" Tony insisted, "They said there was like a tenth of a second difference!"

"Yes, but they did not say who was first yet!" Ziva countered

A race official picked up a megaphone, "It looks like the race winner is Miss Ziva David, with second place Anthony DiNozzo in second by an amazing one tenth of a second!"

Tony groaned, shaking hands with Ziva, "Good race." he was trying to be a good sport, but it was a lot harder when you lose to your best friend, "I will beat you next time, men are naturally stronger than women you know!"

"Yes, but women always have more lower body strength, which one needs for riding a bike!" she told him, "So you are saying you have a woman's lower body strength?"

"No! I'm all man down there!"

"Aw, is your manhood crushed?" she gave him a peck on the cheek

"After a half hour of pedaling on that hard seat, probably!" he was walking bull legged, holding a cool water bottle against his crotch

Jen laughed, watching them bicker, "Maybe its a good thing we didn't make it."


	3. Chapter 3

AN: I'm going to call this one T+ or M-. Its not graphic enough to be called M, but it does contain a bit of mature content.

* * *

It was just past sunset on a warm summer night. After a difficult case, Gibbs and his team had decided to escape the city, and all the ills within it. Having spent the week dealing with drug dealers, gang shootings, and paperwork, it was refreshing to get out into the countryside and relax a bit, if only for a day.

They'd chosen a secluded spot along the Potomac, a place where you could actually see the stars, and breathe clean air. It was perfect for a campout.

"Hey, McWeeblos!" Tony bellowed, "You got that tent up yet?"

McGee was fumbling with the tent. Though the tents they had were big enough for all of them, thanks to rule 12, there would be no co-ed tents. "Yeah, almost. How come the girls got theirs up already?"

Abby and Ziva, who were basking in the last rays of the sun, were watching them arguing, "That's because we set up ours hours ago!" Abby laughed, "You know, when there was light?"

"Almost...got it!" McGee finished pounding in the last stake, securing the tent. As soon as he straightened up, the tent collapsed again, "Oh, come on!" he groaned, fixing it for the dozenth time

"Are ya ever going to learn, McGee?" Gibbs handed him a roll of duct tape, "if those poles won't hold it up, make them!"

"Gibbs, contrary to popular belief, not all of life's problems can be solved with duct tape," Abby told him, "Just most of them."

Ziva took a strip off of the roll, "I agree. It is a very resourceful item." she crept up behind Tony, slapping a piece over his mouth, "See? It works for nearly everything."

Tony disdainfully ripped off the tape, peeling his five 'o clock shadow off with it, "Ow!"

Ducky picked up a cow bell, ringing it loudly, "Diner is ready!"

* * *

After a nice barbecue dinner, they were stuffed and tired. None of them had quit when they should have, but Ducky's chicken was legendary, so they couldn't resist. He brought another plate over to the picnic table, "Would anyone like some more?" he offered. His answer was a chorus of groans, "Perhaps a bit later."

"Better do something with it though," McGee pointed out, "There are black bears in these woods nearby."

"I've already planned for that, Timothy!" he held up a bag of the leftover chicken, and dropped it in an ice chest, "I believe you will find a nice tree about a hundred yards North of here that will suffice. Would you go and hang that up? My back is not what it used to be."

"Sure thing, Ducky."

"Oh, do we have marshmallows?" Abby asked enthusiastically, "I haven't had s'mores in like, forever!"

Ziva looked at Abby skeptically, "What are 's'mores'? It sounds obscene."

"Its a sandwich, made with graham crackers, chocolate, and toasted marshmallows." Gibbs told her, carrying an armload of the items he'd just listed. "Grab a skewer, and get on it while the coals are still hot!"

"I will pass," Ziva decided.

Abby looked at her in horror, "You've never even had one!" she grabbed her friend by the arm, "Come on, you're at least going to try it!"

* * *

"Well, what do you think?" Abby asked

Ziva was trying to keep the goo dripping from her sandwich from falling into her lap, "It is a bit messy, and too sweet for my taste."

"Fine!" Abby stole it from her, "If you don't want it...what is Tony doing?" she looked over by the river, where Tony was circling a tree

"I do not know, but I do not know if I want to know." Ziva sighed, "I have given up on trying to apply logic to what he does. He does look very determined though."

Tony jumped at the tree trunk, nearly hitting his head on it. He did this several times, each time either crying out in frustration or doing a little victory dance. It was interesting to watch, but they still had no clue as to what he was doing. "I think Tony finally lost it." McGee suggested

"Did he ever have it to begin with?" Abby laughed, "Whatever 'it' is, he hasn't had it in a long time."

Ziva continued to watch him, not sure what to think, "No, whatever he is doing, he is doing it for a reason. I do not know what that reason is, but he has one."

Tony walked up to them, grinning ear to ear, "Hey, Zi-vah!" he covered her eyes with his hand, "Guess what I have?"

"Knowing you, herpes?" she joked

"You'd better hope not," he whispered in her ear, "Open your eyes!"

There sitting on the picnic table in front of her was a plastic water bottle. It had a strange yellow glow to it. Within it, there were little lights, which moved around randomly. Some lights flickered, while others were steady. "Tony, what is this?"

"Fireflies!" Abby watched them in fascination, "We used to catch these when I was a kid!"

"They are bugs?" Ziva opened the bottle a bit, letting one fly out into her hand. Sure enough, it was a little bug, "Why are they glowing?"

"They're horny," Tony stated simply. Ziva punched his arm, "No, seriously! They use it to attract a mate."

"And you thought it would work for you?" Ziva asked

"Did it?"

* * *

"Alright!" Gibbs called, "Lights out in ten minutes!" he doused the fire, finishing up the last few chores before bed, "Here are the ground rules: 1- no boys in the girls tent, no girls in the boys tent, no exceptions! 2- If nature calls, don't announce it, just go, take a torch and TP! And last but not least 3- I had better not hear any 'campfire songs' unless you want to become a part of the campfire, are we clear?"

The others nodded enthusiastically, "Crystal boss!"

* * *

Later that night, Tony poked his head into the girls tent. He wasn't technically breaking the rules; he wasn't _in_ the tent. Abby was already sound asleep, with Bert tucked under her arm, but Ziva was still awake, reading by flashlight. He tried to sneak up on her, and startle _her_ for once, but she caught him first, "Tony, Gibbs is going to have your hide."

"He can have it, I'm not using it." he grinned, "What are you doing up?"

"I suppose I should be asking you the same thing," she closed her book and sat up to face him, "It is too hot to sleep."

"This coming from the desert princess?" he teased, "Come on, its not that hot. Its probably worse in Israel, right?"

"No, here it it too...sticky? Does that make sense?" she did miss her homeland at times, especially at times like this, and in mid-winter, when she longed for warm dry days and cool nights.

"Yeah, that makes sense," he grabbed her by the wrist, "Come on,. Be quiet, we don't want to wake anyone."

She resisted him at first, "Wait, what are you doing?" he held his finger to her lips, "_Alright, you had better explain, Tony!"_

"I thought you might want to cool off," he offered, "Or heat up, depends on your definition, I guess." he took the sash from his robe, and tied it around her eyes, "No peeking."

* * *

A short walk up the trail later, they came to a small waterfall, crashing down in the warm shallows. Several jars of Tony's captive fireflies lined the edge of the river. Above the river, the light from the full moon shone down, reflecting off the rippling water. There was a little meadow across the river, where dozens of crickets chirped and leaped with joy. Tony removed the blindfold from Ziva's eyes, "Okay, you can open your eyes now."

She gasped, taking in the natural beauty of this little escape from reality. She kicked off her sandals, and dipped her feet in the pleasantly warm water, "This is amazing. How did you find this place?"

"I used to come here on vacation with my family every summer," he told her, "I knew you'd love it. It hasn't changed much over the years." he stripped down to his shorts, and dove into the water, "Come on in, it feels great!"

A bit nervously at first, she too stripped down, wishing she'd brought something resembling a swimsuit. Instead, she dove in wearing a t-shirt and her underwear. Tony laughed a bit at her, "One of us is wearing too much clothes! Come on, take of your shirt."

She wrapped her arms around herself, preventing Tony from pulling it over her head, "No! I am not wearing a bra, Tony!"

"I know," he told her with a devlish grin, pulling the wet shirt over her head, "Not bad." he whistled admiringly at her, "Not bad at all."

"Now one of us is wearing too much clothes," grabbing her knife off of her pile of clothes, she ran the blade along Tony's waistband, dropping his shorts into the water, "There. Much better."

"Hey!" he pulled on her panties, trying to get them off, "Now one of us is again wearing too much clothes!"

* * *

An hour later, they both lay on the banks, tired and wet. Tony wrapped his arms around Ziva's middle, holding her close, "Wow." was all he could manage

"Hm?" Ziva was half asleep, her head resting on his shoulder

"Nothing," he kissed her forehead, "We should probably get back before they notice we're gone."

She groaned, not wanting to move for another week, "No, not yet. The sun isn't even up." her body still felt weak and boneless, and walking a mile or so back didn't sound like a good idea

"Sorry, Ziva," Tony sat up, leaving her laying on the banks, "You know Gibbs, he never sleeps." he grabbed his clothes, or at least the ones Ziva had left intact, and began to dress, "You coming or not?"

Reluctantly, she got up and grabbed her robe, "Fine."

He knew she was tired, and he didn't think she was up to walking all the way back, even if it was downhill most of the way. He crouched down, and picked her up, letting her cling to him, "Come on, let's go."

"Tony!" she protested at first, trying to wriggle free, but he kept her balanced securely on his shoulders, "What are you doing?"

"Well, camp is that way," he stated simply, charging downhill, slow enough to maintain control, but quick enough to make her think he was about to drop her

"Tony, I will kill you, and drop you in that river where they will not find you for another six months!"

"Yeah, but you'd miss me."


	4. Chapter 4

AN: I know, its cheesy, but I dare you to find me fluff that isn't! Sorry about the slow updates, I...kind of got busted doing...something I shouldn't have. So I got banned from the computer.

Bonus points to whoever can tell my why I picked that name for the waterslide!

* * *

"Pool party!" Tony yelled, running from the locker room, and diving into the cool chlorinated water below

"Hey!" the lifeguard bellowed from his post, tapping the sign that read, "_No Running or Diving!"_

"Oops," he sighed, "Aw, well. No harm done, can't change the past." he looked around for his co-workers. The women, of course, were taking the longest. Gibbs walked out, throwing a few inflatables into the pool, "Hey, boss. Where's McGee? He's been in the locker rooms for like, twenty minutes!"

"How should I know?" Gibbs asked, "For the next few hours, I am _not_ in charge of you people. Whatever you do, is your own responsibility." he'd had enough of playing high school principal, he wasn't going to it here, when he was trying to relax a bit

"Oh...McRobin!" Tony groaned, covering his eyes, "My God, it looks like a banana, without the yellow spots!" he tried to make fun of poor McGee, but the swimsuit he was wearing was doing most of the work for him, "You've lost some weight, and frankly I'm proud of you. But please, cover up!"

McGee looked down at his bright yellow speedo, "Its not that bad." he tried to walk without giving himself a wedgie, but it wasn't working very well, "How do women wear things like thongs? You'd think it would hurt..." he muttered

"Yes, I assure you, it is that bad," Tony promised, running up to Ziva who had just come out of the locker rooms, "Shield your eyes!" he wrapped his hands around Ziva's eyes to keep her from looking at McGee, "If you look at him, kiss your heterosexuality goodbye!"

Ziva moved his hands away, "I think you look...nice, McGee. Very sexy." she tried to be sincere, but it looked like his swimsuit was made of a raincoat

"He wore an itsy bitsy, teeny weeny, yellow-" Tony began singing

"DiNozzo! Knock it off!" Gibbs warned

"Sorry," he linked arms with Ziva, "You need to go shopping with McSpeedo, get him something that fits. _You _have taste." he looked her over appraisingly, "Not bad." he reached behind her and snapped the back of her black top

"Do you want to die?" she glared, gripping his hand tightly, "I have two knives on me, care to find out where?" his eyes searched her body, clad in a tiny black bikini, wondering where she could possibly conceal her weapons. If anyone could though, it was Ziva

* * *

Abby finally wandered out, not sure what to think of what she saw. Tony snapping Ziva's top, McGee doing stretches in a bright yellow man-thong, and Gibbs sleeping on a floating raft in the middle of the pool. The sad thing was, none of this was that surprising.

McGee ran up to her, "Hey, you want to race?" he gestured to the side of the pool with lanes roped off for that purpose

"Um, no." she felt herself blush a bit as McGee looked her over, "You like it?"

"Only you could pull it off," he assured her. She was wearing a hot pink one piece, with black skulls smiling happily on it, "I love it."

"How about the waterslides?" she suggested, knowing the water park would have a few

"Great! There's this one, called the _Charybdis_? Its eighty feet long, and splashes down into twelve feet of the coldest water you've ever felt!" he seemed a bit excited about it, while she was a bit more reluctant

"Anything...less drownable?" she asked, "Is that even a word? I don't know..." she sighed, not knowing quite how to say this, "I...I can't swim, McGee."

He looked at her, not shocked or appalled, like she'd expected, but lovingly, and with understanding, "Hey, its okay Abby. I can teach you?" he offered, "Just...don't take any lessons from those two." he pointed to the diving boards, twenty feet above them, where a showdown was underway

* * *

"Ready to dive, Zi-vah?" Tony sneered, standing on the board next to her, bouncing lightly to test the board, "You're going down, way down. About twenty feet down."

"I get it, Tony," Ziva seemed a bit less edgy, seeing as she was actually capable of standing still, "I will win, Tony. I have more precision than you do, you lack discipline." she told him, watching in amusement as he stretched, and as he put it, "_got his game face on",_ whatever that meant

The man they'd asked to give the signal looked up at them, "You two ready?" they both nodded, "Go!"

Tony and Ziva took off from the opposite end of the board, running for the water. Ziva leaped gracefully into the water, flipping around a few times in the air before dipping into the water without as much as a splash. Tony, however, was not so lucky. He slipped a few feet from the edge, face planting on the board. He flipped off, landing flat on his back in the water twenty feet under him, sending a huge wave across the pool, "Owww..." he groaned, "You win, Ziva..."

"Aw, my little hairy butt," she cooed, swimming up beside him, helping to ease him to the edge, "Come on, let's get you out before you drown."

* * *

"Okay, just relax," McGee held Abby's slim body up in the water, letting her float on her back

"How am I supposed to relax if I could drown?" she tried to keep her body level, but she wasn't very buoyant. "This isn't working. How did you learn to swim?"

"I took classes at the YMCA when I was a kid," he told her, "It took me a while to learn, so don't worry if you don't get it right away, we'll work on it."

"Or you could simply throw her into a body of water without warning?" Ziva suggested, watching with Tony from the edge of the pool, "My father threw me in the Jordan River when I was two years old. I picked it up right away."

"Did he give you a life jacket, or anything?" McGee asked, horrified

"No, he just tied a rope around my waist so that if I was drowning, he could pull me up." she spoke about the event very casually, considering how traumatic it must have been for a toddler, "It only took one time for me to learn."

"No, no, no!" Abby protested, "You are _not_ throwing me in a river!"

"What about a lake?" Tony proposed, "Or the ocean?"

"Not helping, Tony!" Abby shouted, getting a bit annoyed at their suggestions

Ziva swam out to where Abby was trying to float, "McGee, she is never going to learn like that. Abby, you think like a scientist, yes? Your body is mostly water, so you should not sink. You should remain mostly neutral, so it does not take much effort to stay afloat."

Abby was listening, "Yeah, in theory. But in practice?"

Ziva dragged Abby out of the shallows, "You cannot learn to swim in two feet of water. Here, watch my legs," Abby tried to mimic Ziva's movements, "See?"

"The water's resisting too much though."

"Abby, might I just say, duh?" McGee swam out to her, holding her up to keep her steady "'For every action...'"

"'There's an equal but opposite reaction.'" Abby finished, "Oh, I get it! Resistance is a good thing here?"

"Yes," Ziva told her, "I think you have it."

"Why? Understanding it doesn't mean I can do it."

"Yeah, it kind of does," McGee told her, "I let go of you a minute ago." she looked down, seeing that she was staying afloat on her own. McGee's arms were around her, but not touching her, there in case she needed him

"McGee! I'm swimming! Well, treading water, but I'm swimming!" she grinned, turning to him, kissing him wildly, making him blush, "Yay! Gibbs!" she moved over to Gibbs' raft, towed on McGee's back, "Gibbs! Guess what I can do?"

"Wake me up?" he muttered

"Well, sorry," she splashed him playfully, "But look where I am! The deep end!" she was ecstatic. She probably would have been bouncing on her heels if they'd been on land

"Good for you, Abs. Ziva?" Gibbs asked, noticing that Tony was holding an ice pack to his face, "What did you do to Tony?"


	5. Chapter 5

AN: A short, sweet, slightly OOC Giva fic. Enjoy!

* * *

Somewhere between night and morning, Gibbs was down in the recesses of his basement, letting out the day's frustrations into something constructive. The effort of sanding the bow was draining the last of his waining strength, and he knew he would have to call it quits before long, lest he wake up in a pile of sawdust again; not that he minded that from time to time.

He groaned, feeling a vibration in his back pocket. He tossed the phone gingerly into a bucket of nails, not even bothering to check the caller ID. The landline was disconnect hours ago, along with the doorbell, but he'd forgotten his cell. He wouldn't make that mistake again. From above, he could make out the creaking of the floorboards, the footsteps of his uninvited guest shaking dust loose from the rafters. He reached for his sidearm, should he need it, and waited near the stairs. "Come out!" he called, "Don't make me come find you."

"Ah, but I have found you first," a warm voice purred, standing behind him. He had no idea how she'd managed to slip down here unnoticed, but she was an expert at it, "Are you still working on the boat, or is this a new one, yes?"

"Ziva," he sighed, holstering his weapon, "What are you doing here?" he looked her over, not sure what to make of the situation. She smelled of alcohol and perfume, mixed with the woodsy scent of his basement. He found the combination to be quite intriguing. She swayed a bit with each step, more so than usual; sexy, but enough to make him think she'd had a bit too much

"I was wondering if you could give me a push," she asked bluntly, leaning against the freshly sanded bow, "but if you would rather work alone in the dark, I will watch you." she stared at him for a moment, her dark eyes focused on his every move, "or, I could just go home?"

It worried him a bit that she was requesting a push. There was no way she could drive in her condition, and damned if he was going to let her. Gibbs shook his head, "I won't let you drive, that's for sure." he grabbed his keys from the bin where he'd also thrown his cell phone, "Come on, I'll give you a push, then take you home."

She smiled, locking arms with him, "It is a bit of a walk, but it is a nice night."

* * *

Gibbs let her lead him out a few blocks away. He kept his eyes peeled for her red mini-cooper, but so far, the streets were fairly deserted. As they walked, she began to lean more heavily against him, "Ziva, you sure you're up to walking?" he shrugged out of his jacket, wrapping it around her shoulders, "we can head back, and I can help push you in the morning?" he offered

"No, it is only a bit farther," she assured him, "besides, you already promised me that you would."

Gibbs nodded, looking around at the park across the street. He remembered taking Kelly here as a child, practically dragging her back home at the end of the day, since she never wanted to leave. Ziva crossed the street, nearly tripping at the curb. He snapped out of his reverie put an arm around her middle to steady her, "Easy there," he chuckled, "How much have you had tonight?"

She gazed at him thoughtfully, "Not nearly enough. I can still feel my sore feet," she kicked off her heels, carrying them with her as she walked barefoot across the pavement, "we are here." she declared, stopping at the swingset

Gibbs stopped and stared at the creaky old swings incredulously, "Where's your car?" he asked

She shrugged, "At home. Where else would it be?"

"I thought you said you needed a push?" he questioned, following her to the swings

"Yes, I did," she noted, "And you agreed. What does that have to do with my car?" she sat down in the swing, tossing her shoes aside, "Now, you promised me that you would give me a push, yes?"

Gibbs rolled his eyes. This woman never ceased to surprise him. "Okay, but after this, we're going home. You're tipsy, and I'm tired." he stood behind her, helping her shaky hands find the chains, "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"No," she decided, "But do it anyway."

"Okay," he started her off slow, not wanting to fling her from her seat. As she gained speed and hight, she began to cry out in panic, "You okay there, Ziva?"

"Gibbs! Stop!" she threw herself from her still moving swing, running for the sandbox nearby. Her drunken daze combined with the vertigo from the swings was enough to make her lose her footing. She clumsily wandered over, finally managing to lean over the edge of the sandbox, spewing in the sand.

"Geez, Ziva," Gibbs held her hair back, running a hand along her back, "I told you it was a bad idea."

"Yes, you did. And I agreed," she sat up, staring up at the stars glistening above, "But, it was fun, and I do not regret it. I would have found myself throwing up some time tonight, but at least I had fun."

Gibbs chuckled in disbelief. Only she could find the promising side of throwing up in some kid's sandbox at two in the morning, drunk as a sailor. "Yeah, I guess," he handed her back her discarded shoes, "You ready to go home yet?"

"No, not just yet," she lay back in the grass, staring up at the stars, "What do you think they are?"

"Stars?" he looked up with her, "Big balls of burning gas that explode."

"My mother told me that stars are angels, watching over us," she lay her head in his lap, watching the heavens pass by overhead, "I do not believe such a thing, but I find it...morose. By the time their light reaches here, they are long gone. And new ones have come to replace them. Such is my life." she sighed

Gibbs looked down at her lovingly, "No one could _ever_ replace you, Ziva."

"No?" she asked, hiccuping slightly

"Never," he promised


	6. Chapter 6

AN: I have a personal bias against zombie movies; I've never seen a decent one. So in case you can't tell, this fic is a bit odd, possibly OOC, but hopefully you'll still enjoy it! Oh, and I've never written this pairing before, so let me know how it turned out!

* * *

AN: By the way, for those of you who don't know, CHUD is an acronym for cannibalistic humanoid underground dwellers.

* * *

Abby tossed back another mouthful of popcorn, watching the film in utter disappointment, "They just don't make good zombie movies anymore!" she complained, watching the group of unsuspecting coeds being chased by the abnormally fast swarm of the living dead

Tony reached for the pile of snacks situated in Abby's lap, "When did they ever?" she slapped his hand away as it wandered a bit too close for comfort, "What?"

"Hands off my duds!" she held the box of Milk Duds just out of his reach, taking the last few from the carton and popping them in her mouth, watching the look of shock on Tony's face, "Oh, come on! You've got so many cavities, you can't even eat them!"

"I can," he insisted, checking the empty box for non-existent leftovers, "I just have to chew on the other side. Defend your genre, Abbs; name me one, just one, good zombie movie!"

Abby closed her eyes in concentration, "_Dawn of the Dead_, classic horror! Before the whole super-fast, totally non-zombie zombies."

"The exception, not the rule," he pointed out, watching bits of fake brain goo splatter the movie screen, "Chalk one up for the cheesy side. Compare one good movie to the thousands of bad ones? It doesn't work that way. _Chud,_ or even worse, _Chud 2_? Awful, and not in the way you want a horror movie to be awful!"

"Hey, I had a chud!" Abby noted proudly, "Well, it was a hermit crab I named 'chud' but still!" she thought about it for a second, "Okay, they never should have made a sequel, but the original is a classic."

"Classic doesn't mean good, Abbs," he pointed out, "I mean, you fell asleep during _Wizard of Oz!_" he was never going to let that one go. She didn't even make it half-way through before falling asleep on the couch

"It was boring!" she maintained, "Singing, dancing, little people dressed all whimsically, it was creepy and wrong! I had nightmares about it for like a month! At least zombie movies are_ supposed_ to be scary!"

Tony stared at the screen incredulously, "Really? Threatening to eat someone's brains for the thousandth time, scaring coeds into fleeing into the woods where they know they're going to get eaten, because like five other people have already been eaten there, is scary? Maybe the first time, but when its the basis for every zombie movie ever?"

Abby sighed, knowing there was no arguing with the ultimate film critic, "Okay, you don't like it. I get that. But why did you agree to come if you hate zombie movies?"

Tony raised an eyebrow at her, "You're kidding, right?" he laughed a bit, "Abby, no one goes to a drive in to _watch_ the movie. Why do you think nothing good ever plays?" the gleam in his eyes reflected mischief and she loved it, "Think about it; sitting in the dark, in your car, loud movie so no one can hear...you following?"

"Men..." Abby groaned. She was following alright, "Everything is sex to you, isn't it?" she knew she was being a bit unfair, using the stereotype to classify men in general; a description that fit Tony pretty well though. "Well, not everything. There's sports, food, and TV too."

"See? Give us a little credit!" Tony smirked

"Yeah, I know," she unbuckled her seat, "I'm just surprised it took you of all people that long to get it!" Abby looked up at the screen again, finally willing to admit that she too was disappointed, "Okay, wanna jump in the back seat, hop on the good foot and do the bad thing?" she grinned wickedly

"Finally, something we agree on!" Tony leaped over the seat, putting his arms around Abby from behind. In his best monotonous zombie voice, he groaned, "_Tony w__ant brains, want body!"_

"Okay, that's beyond creepy!" she shoved his arms away, climbing over the seat to join him, "Bad zombie!"

"Oh, come on!" he pleaded, peeling off her shirt, "It was a little cute." he held his fingers about an inch apart, only to have her push them closer together, "Okay, very little. Actually, just creepy, but it worked."

* * *

Abby rolled over, her heart still racing, "Okay...which screams were ours...and which were from the movie?" she panted, catching her breath

"Well, unless there was a rabid wolf being tortured in the movie, those were yours," Tony grinned, looking around to realize that theirs was practically the only car left, "Wow, its late. We missed the movie?"

"Yeah, what a shame..." Abby muttered sarcastically

"We should probably head back then, huh?" he tossed Abby her panties, hanging from the rear-view mirror, "Otherwise, some creepy teenager working concessions is gonna come by with a flashlight, making sure we're still alive back here and get an eyeful."

* * *

"Oh, come on!" Gibbs pleaded, "You can't say you've never wanted to do it."

Jen rolled her eyes, handing him back his flashlight, "Alright. But keep in mind, ten years ago, this was the other way around?"

"Ten?" Gibbs grinned, forcing her to smack him, "Hey, if you say so. One over there, up front," he pointed out the last car in the row. Most of the vehicles had already left. He turned on the flashlight, crouching low enough to avoid detection, Jen at his heels

"I can't believe this...what are we, twelve?" Jen smirked, not willing to admit she was getting a thrill out of it too

"Ready?" he counted down on his fingers. Three, two, one. He jumped up, shining a light through the window at the lovebirds in the back seat. A blood curdling shriek nearly burst his eardrums, or at least made him grateful that he could already sign. The scream was familiar, but he couldn't quite place it

"We should probably go before someone calls the cops," Jen insisted, tugging at Gibbs' coat. As usual, she had to be the voice of reason

"Gibbs!" a shrill voice yelled.

"Abby?!" Gibbs' jaw dropped along with the flashlight

She signed through the fogged up window, "_Not nice, Gibbs. Not nice..."_


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Okay, this one's going on the back burner. I'm not going to call it "complete" just yet, but it's going on hiatus for now. Thanks to all who've reviewed! Sorry for the lack of updates, blame my teachers (that's what I do)! Sorry this one's short; never written this pairing before!

* * *

Groaning, Ziva huddled up in the corner. She'd thought that sharing close quarters with her boyfriend, miles from civilization would be refreshing. But shivering in their two person, or rather six feet by four feet, how two people could fit in here comfortably was beyond comprehension, she longed for the warm dry summers of home in Israel. She peeled off her wet clothing, pouring water out of her shoes. "McGee, tell me again why I agreed to this? I am cold, wet, and probably coming down with the flu."

"Ziva, I'm really sorry," McGee draped a blanket over her shoulders, "They said it would be partly cloudy, and the rain wouldn't come until after we left!" he shifted guiltily, trying not to stare at her half-naked form as she changed into drier clothes; nothing in their tent was completely dry.

"You do not control the weather, McGee," she sighed. She really couldn't be mad at him. The whole point of this trip was for the two of them to have some time alone together away from the world, at least they had that. "How long are we doing this?"

"Just the weekend. We can leave earlier if you want?" he offered

"I am _not_ leaving this tent until the rains let up!" she insisted, listening to the steady torrent threatening to wash away their tent, "Besides, once you get used to the bugs, dirt, and wetness, it's really not so bad."

"What else is there?" McGee smiled, "I'm sorry. When I was a kid, I always looked forward to camping. With my family, my scout troop, it was...I don't know, just a way for me to get away from the world, you know? Away from the bullies, the schoolwork, from Sarah," he chuckled, remembering that Sarah hated camping as much as, if not more than Ziva, "I just wanted to show you that too."

"I understand," she nodded, smiling for the first time since they began their hike, "And it is nice, McGee. It could be worse, yes? At least we have a tent, food, and dry bedding?" she rummaged through his bag, "You did bring food, right?"

"MRE's," he offered her the bag/box of what they passed off as food, "It stands for 'Meals Ready to Eat'. They're self heating, so at least we won't have to build a fire," not that they could, seeing as every bit of timber in the forest was saturated from the rains, "They're actually pretty filling. They just don't taste very good."

Ziva ripped into hers, finding the bag filled with several more bags, "How much packaging do they need to use? In twenty years, this forest will be gone, and in its place will be the thousands of bags from MRE's from your camping trips."

"It's not quite that bad, but I see what you mean," he chuckled lightly, holding out one of his bags, "I have 'artificial orange flavored fruit drink mix' wanna trade?"

She turned her nose up in disgust, "Keep it." she sniffed her bag of what was supposedly chicken fried rice, "I think this is what they gave us when I was in the army. Only at least then, we were dry. Did you secure the tent? I do not want to wake up, having washed downhill."

"Don't worry," he assured her, "I've done this more times than I can count. Worst case scenario, the ground gets too wet, and we sink to our deaths in the mud." off Ziva's look, he quickly added, "Just kidding!"

* * *

McGee lay in his sleeping bag, reading a bit by flashlight. Ziva had turned in a bit earlier, seeing as there wasn't much to do now that they were confined to their tiny tent for the time being. The rains had continued to steadily fall, increasing as the night went on. _"So much for a nice, romantic weekend._" he thought to himself. He closed his book, tucking it under his pillow, and turned out his light. Hopefully, tomorrow would be better.

As he shifted, trying to make himself comfortable, he realized that he wasn't the only one moving. He felt a long, lithe body press up against his own. Cold hands draped around him, making him jump slightly, "Ziva?! What are you doing?"

"My sleeping bag is too cold," she shrugged, zipping their now shared bag back up, "I could not sleep."

"Okay, what makes you think that mine's any warmer?" he wasn't opposed per se; curling up with Ziva in a small space had its perks. But it still felt a bit odd. Even though she was the one who climbed into his bed, he still felt like he was taking advantage of her. They'd shared a bed before, how was this so different? "Why do you want to sleep in here with me?"

"Body heat," she answered, "I suppose if you want me to go back to my own side and freeze, I will go. But I will not come back." she lifted his arms, heavy from fatigue, and draped them around her own body, "Now go to sleep."

"Uh huh," he allowed himself to relax a bit. He could hear her soft snoring, and knew she was sound asleep. He smiled, taking her now warm hand in his own. Maybe this trip was worth it after all.

* * *

AN: Review? I'm sick right now (please excuse any grammatical errors, I'm delirious from cough syrup and fever), so reviews would be appreciated!


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